CrossRoad
by Mari Kia Aishiteru
Summary: Koizumi Mari lives the so-called perfect life until it was taken away from her by her father's enemy and envy of her rival. Desperate to fulfill her promise to her dying sister, she encountered Sakurai Sho and his friends, who promised her revenge. Unfortunately, as they come in terms with their plans of revenge, will they also be able to come in terms of their own feelings? AU
1. Present-Prologue: Crossing Paths

**CrossRoad – Present-Prologue  
Crossing Paths**

A perfect life.

People sought for it. People crave for it. Even if things won't work out the way they want...

Even if things get them down...

People strives hard, struggle just to live.

Even though they hurt others. Even though they crush their own morals to do so.

Just to live. 

Just to have that so-called perfect life.

But... what is that "perfect life" means in the first place?

Is it wealth? Career? Status? Popular image?

Is it family? Friendship? Bond?

Happiness?

The meaning varies depending on people. How they are raised, educated and treated.

There are people who define it as wealth. Some rich people who think nothing of morals. They value money and status more than anything and will do everything to ensure they won't lose it.

They hate to associate themselves with low and middle class people, as they had dubbed themselves but do it sometimes to gain a popular image.

Discrimination.

Despite this, there are high class people who wants to live together equally with low and middle class people. They help voluntarily and sincerely.

These people are blessed and the ones who truly lived a perfect life...

...or not.

This story is about an eighteen-year-old woman who has everything and ended up with nothing.

Koizumi Mari.

She belonged in a high class family which includes a Police Chief for a father, a beautiful world-class photographer for a sister and a genius piano prodigy for a brother.

Her mother died five years ago in a plane accident. She was a famous interpreter, travelling around the world for her job. She stayed home every summer to spent time with them, which she was very thankful of.

Their family were famous for being a perfect family. Why?

They were rich, kind and honest. Her father pursued justice and helped people in need fairly. Her sister is a volunteer in a children school and taught them the art of photography. Her brother is a sponsor of many associations that protects children and women.

And her?

At 18, she was the top of her class. She was known to be the University's princess because aside from her intelligence, she is beautiful, with light amber eyes and shoulder-length dark hair; humble and kind as she taught her classmates and schoolmates with the lessons they were having difficulty with and sports-inclined, with her gracefulness and flexibility in dancing and singing.

Not only that, she was dating the University's soccer prince.

They were the "perfect couple" as the University dubbed. The whole campus shook with the news that they were finally together since they so much fit each other. The prince is handsome, with his lightly blonde hair and soft amber eyes. He was also kind and gentle to others, always seen smiling and laughing. He belongs to a middle class unlike the princess, who he fell in love with her at first sight. They became friends because they have few classes they shared. After six months of their meeting, the prince finally confessed and the princess accepted.

Her perfect life continued… until that night.

…

 _It was hot. She squinted her eyes._

 _It was weird. Did the air conditioner in her room act up again? It was just fixed two weeks ago if her memory served her right._

 _If it was, then why was she feeling so hot?_

 _She removed her blankets without opening her eyes and stopped. She waited for some kind of air to reach her skin but there was none._

 _Her eyebrows furrowed._

 _Why?_

 _She let out an irritated groan and willed herself to open her eyes._

 _Red. No, orange?_

 _Eh?_

 _She blinked and rubbed her eyes._

 _Under her door, she could make out an orange light. What was that?_

 _Couldn't take the heat anymore, she stood up from her bed and walked to her door. As soon as she touched the handle, she winced in pain._

" _Ouch!" she uttered. But why would her door handle emit such heat?_

 _She stilled as she realized something._

 _Her eyes widened. "Don't tell me…"_

 _She willed herself to open her door, ignoring the pain on her palm which she was sure will mark a burn later._

 _And her fears came alive._

 _The house was burning._

 _She bit her lip and wondered where her family members were. Wasting no time, she went to her bathroom with her blanket, opened her shower and drowned herself and the blanket in it. She prepared herself to go out of the hallway, in search of her family._

 _Her sister's room is next to hers so she opened the door without knocking as she shouted, "Nee-san! Wake up!"_

 _Her sister opened her eyes and looked at her. "Hmm? Mari? What's wrong?"_

 _The youngest shouted panicky at her sister, "The house is on fire!"_

 _The sister sat up with eyes wide. "WHAT? HOW DID— AH, there's no time to ask about that…" she muttered and ran to her bathroom, mimicked Mari's actions from earlier, minus the blanket, and went to her next room which was their brother's._

 _They twisted the doorknob to find it lock. They both knocked on his door while calling out, "Onii-saaaan! Open the door!"_

 _It felt like forever before the door opened and gasped. "What the—"_

" _Hurry up and let's go!" Satomi, the older sister, told him and he ran to the bathroom, drowned himself in water and shared the blanket with his younger sister._

" _You two get out of here first…" Kento, the brother, said. "I'll get Dad."_

" _But it's too dangerous for you to go alone!" Satomi argued, worried._

" _We're all going to die here if we stay here longer, Satomi nee." He said calmly, wrapping his arm around her._

" _It's okay. You know I can take care of myself."_

" _But…"_

" _Go to the entrance now!"_

 _Mari just stared at her older siblings, wondering what to do. She didn't want to leave her brother, but she knew he was right. They were all going to die here if they stay._

 _Satomi bit her lip._

" _Just promise me you'll come out with Dad alive."_

 _The man smiled. "I promise."_

 _Satomi nodded and pulled Mari. "Let's go!"_

 _The youngest met her brother's eyes and he smiled reassuringly. He showed her a thumbs-up before running opposite the hall where they were._

 _She blinked her eyes. Why did it feel like she was never going to see her brother again?_

 _They ran towards the entrance where the fire was getting wider with each passing minute. They successfully made it outside and breathe a sigh._

 _Satomi looked at her younger sister and scanned her for injuries. "Are you okay, Mari?"_

 _She nodded. "What about you, nee-chan?"_

" _I'm okay, but I can't help but worry about Dad and Kento." She replied, staring at the still burning house._

" _Me too." Mari said, mimicking her sister. "But, how did our house end up like this?"_

 _Satomi wondered about that too and look at her sister. She was about to answer her when she saw a laser light on her sister's forehead. She gasped and pushed her._

" _Mari!"_

 _The young girl was surprised and let out a gasp. She sat up and stared at her sister. She wasn't moving._

" _Nee-chan?"_

 _She felt a graze on her cheek._

 _And that was where she realized what was happening._

Gunshot _?_

" _Nee-chan!" she shook her sister and she moved, trying to shield her and push her out of the way._

" _Mari, hurry up and run!"_

" _But I can't leave you here!"_

" _You're going to or you'll get killed!"_

 _Tears streamed down her cheeks. "But, nee-chan!"_

 _Her sister smiled. "It's going to be okay."_

 _She shook her head. She felt another graze on her leg and knew it was going to be difficult but they had to run before the person who was targeting them managed to kill them._

 _She guessed it was only one since if there were more than one, they were already dead since they were in the open space._

 _They lived in a city with large buildings around them so no one would be there at this time._

 _She dragged her sister's prone body in an alley to shield them from the sniper for a while._

 _She sat her sister on a concrete, leaning her back on the wall. She was breathing heavily and blood was coming out so fast from her back. She held back tears in this state of her sister._

 _Satomi smiled and caressed her younger sister's cheeks. "Mari… you have to go."_

" _Nee-chan…"_

" _You have to live. You know I cannot make it. I will just be a burden if I come with you."_

 _She shook her head._

 _Her sister reached for her neck and removed her necklace. It was a heart locket. Mari knew her sister never removed it because it was very important to her._

" _Here…"_

 _The young woman widened her eyes. "Nee-chan?"_

" _If you ever find him… seek his help. If he sees this, he will surely help you."_

" _But nee-chan… I… this is very important to you…"_

" _That's why I'm giving it to you. I know… you're going to take care of this for me… and I know… that he's going to take care of you, in my place."_

 _Mari was crying now._

" _I love you, Mari. Promise me you're going to live happily… not only for yourself… but for us."_

 _Satomi patted her head. When Mari didn't give a reply, she insisted. "Promise?"_

 _Mari held back her tears and wiped them dry. She nodded. "I promise."_

 _The older sister smiled brightly and patted her shoulder. "Now run along. Go to your prince."_

 _The young girl nodded again and stood up. She was still hesitating but the stern look from her sister made her run fast._

 _As she ran, she kept on apologizing to her sister like a mantra._

…

 _Arriving at his apartment took longer than she expected… unlike her, he lived alone because his parents lived in the suburb of the country. He rented an apartment since it was close to their University._

 _She rang the door bell of his room since she forgot to bring the duplicate key with her. In that situation, everyone will forget._

 _Her heart was still beating fast against her chest. She didn't know if it was because of the adrenaline from running or the nervousness to tell him what had happened._

 _The door to his apartment opened and he looked at her like a deer caught in the headlights. She gave him a nervous smile._

" _Hey…"_

" _Mari! What are you doing here?"_

 _She thought she heard a somewhat panic tone in his voice but ignored it. He was probably really surprised to see her at this time since she never showed up in his place at this time._

" _Something happened and I…" what she was going to say got caught in her throat when she heard a_ female's _voice inside his room._

" _Toma! Who is it?"_

 _Not only that, she showed up in her vision with only a towel around her body. Now that she noticed it, Toma-kun was topless and only wore a towel down there._

 _She couldn't believe it. How could he?!_

" _Mari, let me explain please!"_

" _What's there to explain?" she stared at him calmly, something that Toma-kun never saw in her before. "You are going out with Yoshitaka-san? So, you're not satisfied with the princess and went out of your way to date the queen?"_

" _No it's not that!" She could see Toma-kun shaking his head. "No, please just…"_

 _Mari shook her head. "We're through. I'm sorry to disturb you." She turned and ran to the elevator. She thought the prince would follow her… her prince that she couldn't believe she'd fall in love with… but he didn't._

 _Her tears ran down her cheeks speedily. Her body shook in as the elevator took her from 10th floor to the ground floor._

 _She couldn't believe it. She was betrayed just like that._

 _When she reached the ground floor, she ran as if her life depended on it. Well, in a sense it was true, since the sniper just shot a post lamp in front of her. Her eyes widened and she realized that it wasn't the time for her to deal with her broken heart. Her promise to her sister gave her strength to run faster._

 _She had to live._

 _She promised._

 _Running towards the intersection, thinking that no vehicles would drive at this time, she sprinted to the next street without looking so she failed to see a car coming to her._

 _All she felt was pain and everything went dark._

…

She woke up with a gasp. Her breathing was heavy. Her whole body was trembling. She sat up and scanned her surroundings.

She was in her room.

Right. She was safe right now.

She let out a shaky sigh. She stood up from her bed and went out of her room for some water. She was full of sweat and she was afraid she was going to dehydrate at this rate.

She drank a full glass of water and sighed. She couldn't sleep at this rate so she decided to get a fresh air for a while before going back to bed.

She opened the glass door towards the veranda. The room was located in the 30th floor of the building and she could see the lights coming from the buildings still in business. It was a beautiful sight. The wind was slightly cold but it calmed her down.

She couldn't believe she'd have such a dream again.

The woman leaned on the rail, breathing deeply. She opened her eyes and smiled.

A noise was heard behind her and she turned around to look at the source.

"Can't sleep?" the question was asked nonchalantly but the voice was tinged with worry, and she knew him for a while now to know the difference.

She smiled towards the figure walking towards her. "I just woke up from a dream." She replied, knowing that being honest with him was much better than lying. After all, she cannot lie… not to him.

She saw his eyebrows furrowed. "Nightmare?"

She shook her head. "A long time memory."

He nodded. "Did I know about it?"

She turned back to the sight in front of them. "Yes."

"I see."

They stayed like that for a while. The silence and his figure next to her gave her peace and calm… just like the time she got to know him.

"Mari." he interrupted the silence. She turned to him. "Hm?"

"You should take a rest now. After all, tomorrow is the day." He told her softly, eyes reading her body language.

He had always been like that.

She removed her hands from the rail. "You're right." She answered, but she didn't make any move. The man waited.

"Thank you, Sho-kun."

The man, Sho, smiled at her. "For what?"

"For everything."

Sho opened his arms, as if inviting her to come closer to him, and she did, drowning herself in his arms, in his scent, in his warmth.

"I know you're worried." He said as he held her tight. "But it's going to be fine. Everyone is with you. I am with you. There's nothing to be scared of and you know it."

She nodded against his chest. His warmth never ceased to calm her down.

"I know. I'm very grateful to everyone… to you."

She heard a sigh from above her head.

"Tell me… you dreamt of our first meeting, didn't you?"

She pulled away pouting at him. "Again? How did you know?"

He chuckled at her pout, finding it cute. "Of course, you always thanked me and everyone whenever you dream that."

She giggled. "You know me so well."

"Of course," he said, patting her head.

"Now come on and go back to sleep." He said, pushing her to the door. "If you want, I can sleep with you." He teased with a smile on his lips.

Mari's eyes shone. "Will you?"

Sho chuckled again and ruffled her hair. "Stupiiid."

…

The joint party of the three main agencies were going to start in five minutes. The owners were seated on one table with their respective secretaries and family members, talking about the future of each of their agencies. The International Music Competition ended successfully and these three agencies won the top three awards in the said competition. They created this party to celebrate their success. It was being held in a prestigious hotel with wide gardens for celebration.

In a private room wherein the talents of the agencies had to wait for their turns, because they were going to be introduced later on, there was Mari, wearing a blue gown with an off shoulder at one side, and her best friend who was fixing her long curled locks.

When her best friend finished, Mari looked from side to side, inspecting her straight hair, now curled at the end and in a tight high ponytail on one side. Her side bangs complimented her hairstyle and she couldn't help but grin.

"As expected from the best hairstylist in the world. You know, I wouldn't have thought you're an actress if it wasn't for your movies and dramas."

The woman behind her laughed. "I don't know if it's a compliment or sarcasm."

"You know I don't know sarcasm, Risa."

One of the country's best actresses, Naka Risa, who was wearing a bright green knee-length semi-gown and shoulder-length curled hair, put a hand on her hips and stared at her best friend through the mirror. "And you know that's a lie, Mari."

They both laughed until the door opened. "You're both loud. We can hear you from the hallway."

The two women rolled their eyes at the newcomer with the voice. "What?" he asked, right eyebrow rose.

"You're exaggerating, nii-chan." Risa remarked, sitting on the seat next to her best friend, both of them facing the newcomers who were wearing similar designed black suits, as they sat on the sofa in the room.

"Why are you guys here anyway?" Mari asked. "The Johnny's talents' waiting rooms are below this floor."

Mari was ignored. She shook her head and decided to question them one by one.

"Nino?"

The one who exaggerated earlier, Nino, was holding his precious DS and replied to her without raising his gaze, "I'm bored there."

"You're bored but you're not even looking at us right now." Risa said. "You should just stay in your green room while playing. You just changed places."

Nino shrugged and ignored the remark of his sister. Ninomiya Kazunari. Risa's half brother. They have the same mother and different fathers. They live separately of course because of work but they care about each other.

"What about Aiba-chan?" Mari continued. Unlike Nino, the man actually looked at her with a grin. "We thought you're nervous so we're here to cheer you up!" he said, giving her a thumbs-up. She suddenly remembered her dream, no, her long time memory… her brother…

"Mari? You okay?" her thoughts were cut off by a hand on her shoulder. She realized that she did it again.

"She really is nervous guys! What should we do?!" Aiba-chan yelled to the people in the room and Mari couldn't help but smile.

"No, Aiba-chan, I'm okay. Thank you for the thought though."

"But… you're spacing out, Mari-chan." Another man said, who was sitting next to Aiba before the latter stood up. He said it nonchalantly, like stating a fact. She giggled. "No, I'm really fine, Ohno-san. I just remembered something." She assured them.

The hand on her shoulder was still there, she noticed, and she looked at him with a gentle smile. "I'm sorry for worrying you guys again."

The owner of the hand patted her shoulder and nodded, moving back to the sofa and sitting next to Ohno.

"Well, whether that's true or not, Sho-kun's going to take care of it so you guys better not worry anymore." He said, making Mari blushed a little.

Aiba Masaki turned to him and nodded in agreement. "Ah, Matsujun's right. I forgot about that."

Risa laughed at that. Their friends knew the relationship between the two and they never failed to tease her best friend about it. She wondered if Sakurai-san got teased about it as well in a daily basis. If he was, she felt sorry for him.

"You guys…" Mari began but was cut off.

"… _you know we're not like that..._ is what you're going to say again?" Matsumoto Jun, or also known as Matsujun told her. He began reading a book and replied to her without looking.

Mari sighed. "Is this why you're here? To tease me?"

"You know that's not true, Mari-chan!" Aiba said once again. "We want to be here for you. You know… since the time is near."

Ohno nodded. "We want to give you our support as much as possible."

"Everyone…"

Risa shook her head and stood up. "Okaaay~ no more sappy talks. I don't want to fix a messed-up make up since we only have less than three minutes before the announcement."

The men chuckled with Risa's remark. She was right. The time was finally coming.

The moment that they prepared for seven long years was going to appear into fruition.

They will make sure Mari's sweat, struggle and tears will not go to waste.

They were a witness of those, and they swore to themselves to help this woman to take back what was rightfully hers from the people who took it away so selfishly.

The door opened again and this time, Sho appeared. He looked surprised at his friends' presence in the room. He was also wearing a black suit, like the other men in the room.

"You guys, I've been searching for you." He said, talking about his friends.

Jun closed his book and raised one eyebrow towards him. "Really? Or do you just want to see your girlfriend before anyone else does?"

Sho blinked at him but one could see the traces of red on his cheeks. He looked towards Mari, who smiled at him. "It's time." He said, walking towards her.

They all stood up. Nino turned off his DS. Aiba stretched his arms, causing Matsujun to look at him weirdly. Ohno Satoshi nodded at her with a smile. Risa gave her a pat on the shoulder. Sho offered his hand to her and she reached out her own, grasping it.

"Let's go."

She nodded. "Hn."

…

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are all here to celebrate the success of Japan's three largest talent agencies in the International Music Competition. However, before we start the party officially, there is an announcement from Amuse Inc. Let us all welcome, Amano Ryo-sama!"

A round of applause was heard from the crowd. The owner of Amuse Inc., Amano Ryo, walked up to the platform and waved his hand. "Good evening, dear guests. I am happy to tell you that our talents have been growing each year. We train talents into perfection before they step into the world, just like the other two famous agencies present here. So for tonight, allow me to present a new talent that will have her debut tonight. She will be a solo idol, since she has what it takes to be one. She studied abroad for four years and trained under our agency for three years to finally achieve this opportunity."

Behind the curtain that will lead to the gardens, Sho could feel her arm shaking from his hold. He was going to be her escort when she appears… already discussed with the presidents and having their approval. Those two were always so close so it was pretty easy to request such a thing.

And he was ready to make them agree since he wanted to be by her side at this moment.

They'd been waiting for this. Everything was according to plan. Now, he wasn't sure what will happen after they get out there but he was sure he wouldn't leave her and be with her to give her the strength to take the first step in their plans.

"Mari, don't be nervous." He whispered, not looking at her. He felt a movement. "No, I'm not."

"Are you sure?"  
"Yes, I'm sure. And…"

Sho turned to her and found the woman staring at him. "…you're here so I'm sure everything is going to be fine."

He smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm here."

"…Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome, Amuse's new idol!"

The curtain opened and they walked on the red carpet towards the platform. Cameras and photographers were everywhere and Mari had to close her eyes for a moment to avoid hurting it but she couldn't. As they closed the distance, she could make out his and her wide eyes. They were both surprised and she held the urge to smirk at the look on her face.

Both of them, Mari and Sho, bowed to the agency owners and their family, presenting herself with a shy smile. She was truly embarrassed but Arashi trained her for this moment. Her posture showed self-confidence and turned to the two, the woman who, in a way, destroyed her once peaceful and perfect life; and the man, who broke her already broken heart.

The man stared at her like he had just seen a ghost. He had been told that she was dead and he mourned for her… for her family. He didn't know that she had been through so much that night, and yet, he left her to die. For what? Money? Fame?

He regretted it. Oh, how much he regretted his decision to not chase her that night. He should've. But he was weak. So weak that the woman… the _Queen_ … managed to latch herself onto him. If only…

If only he knew…

The woman couldn't believe her eyes. Her father told her she was dead. She died in a car accident. However, it was, no doubt, her staring at her. She felt her blood boil as she noticed her fiancé looking at the woman. She knew he also realized it was her.

Cursed that woman, coming from the world of the dead. She smiled and calmed herself down.

No issues. She just had to bring her to the world of the dead once again.

And this time, for good.

Sho could tell that the two realized it was her; the woman who they betrayed and left to die.

He greeted them with a smile, trying to be polite opposite to the truth that he wanted to hurt these two… for ruining her life.

Well, he is an actor aside from being an idol.

"A pleasure to meet you."

"Sakurai Sho-san, what a pleasant surprise." Yoshitaka Yuuta, owner of the StarDust Inc., said with a smile. Sho reached his hand for a handshake, in which the owner accepted.

"He is close with her so we, Ryo and I, chose him to be her escort for tonight." Johnny Kitagawa informed with a little grin.

The Yoshitaka man nodded. "I see." He turned to the woman and reached for a hand. "A pleasure to meet you, miss?"

Sho grasped her hand tightly in his and Kitagawa Johnny glanced at her. She was reassured with their presence beside her and she found the strength to face these people who stole everything from her.

"A pleasure to meet you… my name is Koizumi Mari."

 _This is only the beginning._

 _The first step towards revenge had taken place._

 _The story of these four people, who had chosen a different path from one another, will meet; the four different paths that showed a CrossRoad._

 _ **Prologue ends here.**_

…

 **Disclaimer:** I DON'T OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT THE STORY LINE.

 **Author's notes:**

Yes, my first Arashi fanfiction series. This is originally a BleachxFairyTail Crossover. I changed the story a little to fit Arashi. But no worries, I'm going to rewrite this into the anime crossover after. I just really want to write an Arashi fanfic so yeah…

The owners of the agencies are made up aside from Johnny Kitagawa. Amuse and Stardust are really talent agencies in Japan but I don't know the owner's names so I made it up.

Read and Review please.

Thank you!

 _Regards,_

 _Mari Kia Aishiteru, 11.06.2018_


	2. Past - 1st Road: The Night of Beginning

**CrossRoad – The Past Arc  
First Road: The Night of Beginning **

Shizu: The University of Tokyo.

It is a very prestigious University known for a reason. Education is advanced and one of a kind. After graduation, 100% job admittance is ensured.

In this University, two women battled for dominance… or not.

It was actually one-sided. The princess didn't care for fame in the University, but she did everything to achieve high grades for her family. She was the princess. And she was the Queen. She was of higher status than her.

However, Yoshitaka Maki couldn't accept that there was someone famous aside from her in the walls of the University.

It also didn't help that her first love, the man who saved her from danger when she was still in high school, was dating the said princess.

She was furious.

Not only had she, Koizumi Mari, destroyed her chances of being the University's one and only famous Queen but also, the chance of being with her one true love.

She knew he loved the princess. But she couldn't forgive that fact.

She decided to do everything to get Toma back. Even if he hates her.

…

The woman returned to her family's mansion and greeted her family members. Her father, who was an owner of one of the country's famous talent agency, sat on the head of the table, with her younger sister at his right. She was also studying in the University like her as a freshman. She was a year behind her. "Good evening, nee-san." The younger sister greeted her with a smile. She returned with the same gesture. "Aa, good evening, Yuriko…" she turned to the man. "…Father."

The man nodded and gestured for her to sit down. She sat opposite to Yuriko who started eating a while ago.

"How's the business, Father?"

He glanced at her for a while, and went back to his food. "Fine."

She nodded.

They had another silent dinner that night.

…

Maki had just finished her report for the next day. She stretched her arms and stood up from her chair. She thought of getting a glass of water before going to sleep so she went out of her room to the kitchen.

Upon her journey, she overheard some talking in her father's study room. _Probably work._ She thought to herself.

However, when she heard the name _Koizumi_ , she stopped.

 _That's the princess' family name right?_ She thought and got curious, leaned on the door to listen in.

" _Curse that Koizumi! Always meddling with our affairs!"_ his father's voice rang in her head. He sounded angry.

" _If he manages to get any evidence, the agency is done and you know it!"_ The agency? Koizumi's father is investigating his father's agency? But why?

" _I'll give you half of the embezzled money so kill the Koizumis."_

She stiffened and bit her lip. _Kill them?_

" _His children will surely investigate his death and I don't want any more issues in the future so take his children with him."_

Maki slowly walked away from her father's room and to her own room, slowly shutting the door behind her. She sat on the edge of her bed and breathed out.

"What a coincidence, father." A sinister smile slowly appeared in her lips, a plan formulating in her mind.

She talked to her father the next day, asking him about what she heard the night before. Her father had been surprised but she told him her reasons and he had only patted her head.

"When will be the execution of the plan, father?"

"Tonight. Why?"

Maki shook her head. "Nothing. Just curious." Her father raised an eyebrow at her. "I have a _very_ small favor though."

"Let's hear it then."

…

She reached his apartment that night and rang the doorbell of his room. He belonged to the middle class, but only a step further and he will belong to the high class.

The door opened and she could tell he was surprised to find her there. He was wearing a plain black shirt and knee-length shorts. "Maki-chan? What are you doing here?"

"I have something to tell you. May I come in?" she said with a smile.

He scratched the back of his head. "Can it wait for tomorrow? You know I have a girlfriend and I don't really like having a girl other than her in my apartment."

She clenched her fists in control of her emotions.

"It can't wait. It's about your family and your relationship with… her."

The man hesitated for a moment but sighed. "I understand. Come in."

She smiled brightly and made herself at home, sitting on the sofa in front of his TV. He was watching a soccer game. As expected of the soccer prince. "Would you like something to drink?" he asked standing next to the sofa.

She shook her head and took his remote on the table, and turned it off.

"Hey! I'm watching that!" he exclaimed, trying to get the remote out of her grasp.

She kissed his cheeks, making him stop. He stood up, staring at her dumbly. She smirked.

"You know I love you, right, Toma-kun?"

He seemed to get out of his trance of being kissed. He stared at her seriously. "And you know I have a girlfriend whom I love so much, Maki-chan."

Silence.

Toma sighed. "You're one of my friends, Maki-chan. I mean, we've been classmates since high school, and you're precious to me so…"

She stood up and faced him, determined. _It's now or never. He's going to hate me for this but… this is the only way._

"Toma-kun, break up with Koizumi Mari."

"What?"

"…or else, your family will suffer."

He shook his head and laugh at her. "Stop joking around, Maki-chan. It's not funny."

"And I'm serious. I already talk to my father." She reached for her phone and opened it. She was using it for something and Toma couldn't help but feel nervous. After a while, she held it up for him to see.

His eyes widened.

It was the security camera of his parents' sweets shop. They were in the suburbs of Tokyo.

"H-How did you—"

"I told you I already talk to my father." She said. "If you break up with her, and be with me, your family will be safe. We'll leave them alone, that I can promise."

Toma gulped. "And if not…"

Maki giggled and moved the screen of her phone. Toma could see two… no, three snipers targeting his oblivious parents.

"Also, after graduation, we can give you your dream job. Your family will move up to high class status if that happens."

The man bowed his head. He didn't know what to do. He love Mari so much but his parents were in danger and if he made the wrong decision, they were going to get killed.

He thought of the consequences his decision might had.

If he accepted, his family will be safe. He will get his dream job, to be a pro-soccer player. He will reach the upper class in the society. His family will be respected by people. They wouldn't have to face the prejudice anymore.

If he didn't, he will be with Mari forever. But his family will…

Maki could see him battling within himself. She decided to finally deal the final blow.

"Toma-kun," she softly called out, hands on his cheeks, staring at his eyes. "What is more important to you, your family's life or Koizumi Mari?"

Koizumi Mari, the princess. She belonged to a high class family. She will be fine without him. Yes… she would be.

And so, he decided to be with the queen. He stared at her eyes and closed the gap between them.

Maki was so happy to feel his lips on hers. Oh, how long did she dream of having him kissing her like this, embracing her tightly like this?

She couldn't believe it. But it was true. It was happening.

They pulled away and Toma pushed her on the sofa harshly and Maki winced. Her love was on her, glaring at her menacingly she didn't know what to feel.

"I hate you." He told her and she felt her heart broke a little. But this was what she had decided. She had prepared herself and so she hardened her heart.

"I know, Toma-kun. I know."

They kissed again, fiercely, hungrily.

Maki, even though it was Toma's way of releasing his anger to the situation, to her, felt so happy. She was finally doing it with him… and only him.

Toma removed his shirt, leaving him topless and he fondled her breast tightly, making her bit her lip. She didn't want to make noise because if she did, he will surely stop. And she didn't want him to.

Their night continued on that specific sofa, and even as they had sex, she knew that she would have his body but never his heart.

Never.

After the first round, they both stilled and Toma went to the bathroom to have a shower. He couldn't believe himself. He just had… sex with one of his best friends.

He punched the wall of his bathroom angrily as tears streamed down his cheeks. Thanks to the shower, it wasn't visible but he could feel it.

He felt so sorry for Mari; the woman, who was always there for him; the woman, who always smiled and laughed with him; the woman, who he loved dearly with all his heart and soul.

 _Mari, I'm so sorry…_

After his shower, he opened the door to find the woman who caused his pain in front of him. He glared at her and walked past her. He heard the door of his bathroom closed. She was probably going on a shower as well.

He clicked his tongue angrily and stayed seated on his sofa with only his towel wrapping the lower part of his body. The woman went out of the bathroom with a long towel wrapped around her, hair glistening at her back.

She was beautiful. If only it didn't turn out like this…

"You've changed, Yoshitaka Maki. You changed so much, I didn't even notice." he remarked, staring on his floor.

The woman walked towards him and sat next to him. "Yes, because all you see is your princess."

He glared at her and she held his gaze.

The doorbell suddenly rang, and he wondered who it could be at such a time. He opened his door only to be surprised of the figure who he didn't want to see right now.

"Hey…"

She was still in her pajamas. Her hair was in disarray. What happened to her?

"Mari! What are you doing here?" he asked panicky. Maki was still inside and he didn't know what to do if she caught her.

"Something happened and I…"

She was interrupted by that annoying voice.

"Toma! Who is it?"

His eyes widened. Oh no. Busted.

The woman appeared in front of them with only her towel on. He glanced back at Mari who had her eyes wide. He knew it would risk his family but he just couldn't help himself with her face like that.

"Mari, let me explain please!"

She stared at him calmly. "What's there to explain?"Her voice was something he had never heard before coming from her. He was actually afraid at her tone."You are going out with Yoshitaka-san? So, you're not satisfied with the princess and went out of your way to date the queen?"

"No it's not that!" He shook his head. "No, please just…"

Mari shook her head. "We're through. I'm sorry to disturb you." She turned and ran to the elevator. Toma moved to follow her but Maki caught his arm. She stared at him seriously.

"Run after her and your family won't see the sunrise."

He gasped and clenched his fists. His whole body trembled in anger. He closed his eyes and pulled away harshly from Maki's hold on him, closed his door and went inside his room.

He threw whatever his hands could reach and all Maki could do was listen to all his frustrated cries.

…

The drunken woman shouted at the top of her lungs and danced until her energy left her body. His brother shook his head with a sigh. He was used to his sister's actions whenever she drinks and he really thanked her agency for taking care of her despite this.

Good thing, the bar they were in was famous for celebrities. It was difficult to book for a reservation, and only high class people were allowed to do so. The customers, employees and the owner were also used to the woman's tendencies so they just laughed at him as he dragged her out of the bar. He tapped his credit card on the master's counter and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry for another trouble my sister had brought tonight."

The master shook his head with a smile. "No, it's okay. It's good to loosen up after a long day of work."

The master returned his card and nodded his thanks before going out of the bar towards his best friend's car.

"Again?" his best friend asked from inside the car, raising one eyebrow. The man nodded. "Yeah."

He carefully laid her at the back seat and he took his seat on the passenger's side.

He sighed. "I don't know what I am going to do with her the next time this happens again."

His friend laughed. "Risa-chan just wants to be with her brother so badly. You cannot blame him, Nino."

Nino glared at him. "What kind of technique is this then?" he told him as his friend started up the car's engine. "It's so embarrassing. Fortunately, the people in the bar knew the word, _confidentiality_."

His friend rolled his eyes as he drive towards Risa's home. "Ah, Sho-chan, take us to my place, please."

"Oh, I thought we're going to Risa-chan's house."

"No, even if she makes it home, no one's going to take care of her."

"Aww… how sweet of a brother you are." Sho remarked with a chuckle.

Nino glared at him and Sho laughed. "You know I'm just kidding Nino."

The said man sighed. "I'm sorry about this Sho-chan. You just finished your shoot for News Zero and instead of resting, you're still out here and driving us home."

Sho turned to the next street as he asked, "If you're feeling guilty then why didn't you ask Aiba-kun or MatsuJun or even your manager to give you a ride?"

Nino rolled his eyes. "You know how they are. Aiba-kun is too enthusiastic and maybe he'd even go inside the bar and get drunk himself. My manager is taking care of his sick mother. He told me he could come tomorrow for work though. J is in another concert meeting."

Sho furrowed his eyebrows. "Again? Isn't Jun overdoing it? We still have two months for it." Nino shrugged. "You know he won't stop until he gets what he thinks is a perfect concert."

"Well… that's true but…"

"If you're so worried about him, why don't you give him a call later?"

The driver nodded in agreement. "I'll do that after I get home."

"Aa anyway Nino, have you heard something from Satoshi-kun?" Nino turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"He emailed me earlier this evening." He turned to the main street. He noticed that the street was deserted so he sped up a little bit. "He said he wanted to go fishing with us."

Nino nodded. "Aa, I also received one from him… but I told him to—" he looked in front of him and saw a figure running so fast towards the next street and he tried to warn his friend.

"Sho-chan, stop!"

Sho also saw the figure and tried to stop the car but the figure still bumped with the car they were in. Her body rolled in front of them and lay on the ground.

They stayed still, breathing hard.

"S-Sho-chan… you didn't bump into a woman just now right?" Nino asked, voice shaking.

Sho tried to answer him, but only opened his mouth and closed it.

"Is… she dead?" he asked Nino next to him.

"I don't know. L-Let's take… a look."

Sho turned to his best friend so fast he could feel his neck scream in pain.

Nino stared at him and nodded. Sho nodded in return. They both walked out of the car and walked slowly towards the body.

It was indeed a woman in her pajamas. There was blood coming out of her legs and shoulders and they guessed it was where the sound of impact came from.

Nino sat near her and touched her nape, searching for a pulse. He gasped and Sho looked at him in surprise.

"She's alive, Sho-chan! Quick, let's drive her to the hospital!"

"Eh?!"

Nino shook his head and shouted at his friend, "I'll drive! You get her to the back of the car, hurry!" he ordered and he didn't wait for his friend's affirmation and quickly walked to where his sister was. He woke her up harshly. "Risa wake up! We have emergency!"

His sister thankfully woke up and sat. "What? Nii-chan? What's happening?"

The door to her right opened and she saw Sho carrying a woman's bloody body and taking her inside with her. She totally woke up.

"Waa! Sakurai-san, what—"

"We'll explain later!" Nino cut off. "Let's just go!"

Sho sat down on the passengers' seat as Nino drove them to the nearest hospital.

…

"So how is it?"

"It is successful sir. We burned their house. The two sisters managed to escape the fire, but I chased them and killed the oldest. I followed the youngest but in her desperation to escape me, she is hit by a car."

The man seated on the chair opposite the sniper nodded. "Hmm…"

"Are you sure all of them are dead?"

"Yes sir. No doubt."

"Alright. You're dismissed."

The man bowed and went out of the room. The one seated on the chair dialled a number from his phone and waited until the man from the other side answer.

"Oh, hello. Wait for the latest news tomorrow, Yoshitaka-san. It might make you happy."

" _Oh? So you've done it?"_

"Yes, my sniper made sure all of them are dead."

A laugh was heard. _"Nice, nice."_ He said. _"I'll send the money in your account."_

"Yes, thank you as always."

" _No problem."_

"See you then."

" _Aa, see you."_

He turned his seat towards the glass window where the lights were a sight to behold. "I apologize for this, Koizumi-sensei."

 _ **First Road: The Night of Beginning ends here.**_


	3. Past - 2nd Road: Koizumi Satomi

**CrossRoad – The Past  
Second Road: Koizumi Satomi's Locket Necklace**

The drive to the hospital seemed so long but it was only five minutes from where they accidently crashed into the woman. In the ride, Sakurai Sho saw flashbacks of his past right before his eyes. He feared that he couldn't be in Arashi anymore.

He was a shame.

There was no way he could stand with the four of them after this. Especially if the woman died. He didn't know what he would do.

Would his parents disown him? Would his agency fire him? Would his friends hate him?

He feared for the worst.

Drowned in his thoughts, he didn't notice that the car had stopped and his door opened. "Sho-chan, hurry up and bring the girl inside!"

Nino called out and he could only go with the flow. His body moved instinctively with his friend's orders. He opened the door and Risa helped him bring out the body as Nino brought a male nurse with a stretcher.

They waited outside the emergency room; Risa sat on the bench as Nino explained to her what happened. Sho continued to fear for his future from now on as he sat next to his friend.

"So you mean, it was an accident?" Risa asked. Nino narrowed his eyes at his sister. "Of course it was an accident! There's no way Sho-chan would purposely kill someone, you know?"

Risa nodded, and glanced at the man beside her brother. "Sakurai-san…"

When the other man didn't even give a notice that he heard him, Nino placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sho-chan."

Sho raised his head at the voice of his friend and turned to him and Nino could see the worry in his eyes. But there was more.

Fear.

"Sho-chan, it's going to be okay. No one will hate you. You'll be in Arashi forever. There's no Arashi without the five of us and you know it." Nino told him, a small smile appearing on his lips.

Sho breathed out. He didn't even notice that he was holding his breath. Hearing Nino's words calmed him down. Not totally, but it was enough… for now.

"Thank you." Sho whispered and Nino patted his back. Risa smiled a little.

"… and I'll be your witness when your trial comes so rest assured." He commented causing Sho to groan loudly. "Nino!"

The man laughed. "I'm just kidding!"

Risa saw Sakurai-san pouting a little. "It's not funny." Sho replied. The woman smiled. They were so close that her brother knew how to cheer his friend up.

As expected of her nii-chan.

"Risa, what time is it?" Nino turned to her and she looked at her phone from her pocket. "It's twelve minutes past three in the morning."

"Don't you have a photo shoot tomorrow? You should go home and rest. You're still quite drunk." Nino said, picking up his phone and dialling someone.

"But I'm sober right now. I'll be okay."

"No, you should go home." He placed the phone next to his ear. "Hello? Fujitaka-san?

Risa gasped. "No, don't—"

Nino stood up, out of her reach for his phone. "Please fetch up Risa here, we're in Tokyo General Hospital."

"No injuries. There's another reason why we're here. I cannot take her home so if you would please…"

"Yes, thank you." He hung up and turned around, facing the pouting expression of his sister.

"How dare you?" she whispered menacingly. Nino rolled his eyes. "I don't care if you get scolded, you're going home with your manager and that's final."

They stared at each other for a while until Risa gave up and sat on the bench angrily.

Sho stared at the two of them in silence. Nino and his brother tendencies.

Well, he understood. He was like that with his younger sister too.

Another thirty minutes had passed and the red sign above the door of the operating room changed into green. The three stood up, as the doctor faced them.

"Are you related to the patient?" he asked.

They exchanged looks and turned to the doctor. "Um… no, but we are the ones who took her here." Risa replied. "How is she?" she asked immediately.

The doctor smiled at them. "She's going to be fine. But may I talk to you for a while in private, regarding her?"

The three exchanged glances but nodded.

They reached the doctor's private office as he opened the door for them. They thanked him and sat on the chairs, as the doctor sat opposite them.

"Um… sensei, is everything alright?" Nino asked, a little bit nervous. He wondered why they have to talk in private.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, I just want to ask the situation when you found the patient, if you don't mind."

Sho lowered his head. He cannot face the doctor, since he knew it was his fault that the woman in there ended up that way. Nino looked at him and patted his hand which was rested on Sho's knee. Sho looked at Nino and he smiled, reassuring his friend that everything will be fine.

"It's okay, Sho-chan. It was an accident. She's fine."

Sho nodded and breathe deeply before starting the story.

"Actually, we're on our way home in a car. I am driving and then suddenly, she appeared out of nowhere and I wasn't able to stop in time and she…"

"…she bumped into your car." It wasn't a question but a statement from the doctor.

"Yes, sensei. I'm really sorry!" Sho apologized, bowing his head only a few centimetres from the table in front of him. The siblings next to him smiled at his actions.

The doctor nodded and asked for Sho to raise his head. "I understand, Sakurai-san. She has a broken leg and fracture on her arms and I'm guessing it came from the accident." The doctor faced them with a serious expression that the three became nervous. "But that's not only it."

"What do you mean, sensei?" Nino asked.

"There's a bullet on her left shoulder. It wasn't deep. She didn't probably notice it but she was shot."

Their eyes widened.

"There were also a few gun grazes on her skin."

"T-That's why you asked us in what situation did we find her in." Risa said in realization.

The doctor nodded his head in agreement.

"If that's true then someone might be targeting her life." Nino remarked. "Maybe that's the reason why she didn't notice us approaching because she was focused on escaping."

Sho realized that Nino might be right.

"If that's the case," Sho faced the doctor. "Sensei, can you please keep her a secret for a while? We're going to search for her identity first."

The doctor agreed. "I understand. I'll talk to the hospital's director to send her in a private room."

"Thank you very much."

The meeting with the doctor ended and they slowly walked towards the back entrance of the hospital. They weren't wearing any disguises so it was dangerous. Good thing, there were few employees at this time and the doctor already talked to them about confidentiality.

"Ne," Risa's voice interrupted the silence. "If she was being chased, then that means that person saw her being hit by a car."

Nino nodded in understanding. "Then, that person probably thought she's dead."

"You're right." Sho agreed. "Then all the more reason for us to find out who this woman is and why someone is chasing her."

A car stopped in front of the back entrance and Fujitaka Saori's figure was seen. They stepped towards the car. "Fujitaka-san, thank you for being here." Nino said, bowing a little.

"No, Ninomiya-san, it's my job. It's me who has to thank you for calling me. I've been calling Risa-san for hours now but she wasn't answering."

"Again?" Nino turned to his sister. Risa sighed. "Let's talk about this tomorrow. I'm tired. Let's just go home, Saori-san."

Risa opened the back door of the car and went inside. She opened the window and smiled at the two. "Take care you two."

"Yeah! You too!"

"Nii-chan, don't forget to update me!"

Nino waved. "Hai, hai!"

Saori bowed a little bit before closing the window and drove away.

…

The two Arashi members watched as the car drove away. Nino turned to his best friend. "What should we do, Sho-chan?"

"What time is it, Nino?"

The man checked his phone. "It's four thirty. Why?"

He walked back inside and searched for the place where you could call. "Let's call Satoshi-kun."

…

" _What? Why are you in a hospital?"_ the Arashi leader's voice was the same as always but there was a tinge of worry in it and they knew him for a long time now to notice it.

Sho's phone was in a loudspeaker mode. They were in a private cubicle so there was no problem.

"We're fine, leader. Something just happened." Nino reassured.

They could hear his confusion. _"What is that something then?"_

"We'll explain it to you in person later when we meet." Sho said. "We called to tell you that we can't make it to the fishing bonding you emailed us last night. I'm sorry."

Nino seconded. "I'm sorry, Oh-chan. I cannot leave Sho-chan alone here." He said, apologetic. "I'm sure Aiba-chan would be happy to accompany you."

" _Aa, he's on his way to my house at this moment actually."_ Ohno answered. They could hear movements. He must have been preparing his fishing tools. Nino smiled.

"Then that's good."

Sho chuckled. "Enjoy yourselves Satoshi-kun. Let us eat your catch later."

"Aa, that's right." Nino agreed. "We can have it grill later while we wait for the shoot."

" _Yeah, then take care, Sho-kun, Nino."_ Ohno said.

"Yeah, see you at ten."

"Bye."

Sho hung up. He placed his phone back in his pocket and they both went out of the cubicle with a sigh.

…

Ohno Satoshi, Arashi's leader loves fishing. He was used to being alone while he fish in his private time.

But today was different.

He invited his members to have fishing with him. Out of four, he only got an email from Matsujun and Aiba-chan. The youngest member told him that he couldn't since they still have the concert meeting in the early morning in continuation of the night before. Aiba-chan, of course, said yes. He was very enthusiastic and was looking forward to it.

However, there was a problem. Nino and Sho-chan didn't reply back.

It was common for Nino. Whatever decision he made, he didn't really have the habit to reply to his emails and messages. He was used to it.

The problem was Sho-kun.

It was unusual for him to not receive a reply from him. Usually, he would reply immediately after seeing his email. Didn't he receive it?

However, the next early morning, as he was fixing his fishing tools and after receiving an email from Aiba-chan that he was on his way to his house, he got a call.

He wasn't surprised that they couldn't come. He was surprised at the reason why.

It wasn't really a reason since they didn't explain everything but the fact that they were in a hospital right now, and together, was bothering him.

He wasn't used to his members being in a hospital at this time. Maybe if it was check-up, he'd accept it but hearing that something had happened was somehow disturbing.

He was out of his reverie when he heard the doorbell. He opened the door to see Aiba Masaki smiling brightly at him.

"Leader, good morning! I'm looking forward to it!"

"Aiba-chan…"

The man furrowed his eyebrows. He thought his leader would be excited seeing him. "What's wrong, leader?"

"Actually…"

…

"I really want to join Oh-chan today." Nino groaned as they walked towards the ward.

"I told you earlier that you can go."

"And I told you I cannot actually have fun while thinking of you and that mystery woman."

Sho just sighed.

A nurse approached them and informed them of the private room where the woman was taken in earlier. They both thanked them and continued on their way.

They stopped in a floor where there were few rooms but you could see them unoccupied. Unlike the other floors where the patients' names were easily seen from the door, these rooms only had numbers on top of the doors.

"Aa, here. Number nine right?"

"Yeah, nine."

They opened the door and went inside. The room was polished with a soft pink color. It was very cozy and didn't look like a hospital type of room. There was a couch in front of the bed and even a table, a coffee maker, a TV, a DVD player and a small single bed. They were surprised.

"I didn't think it would be this cozy." Nino remarked, amazed.

"Right?" Sho agreed. "I'm surprised."

Nino played with Sho's laptop. Fortunately, Sho always brought his laptop to work and Nino forgot to bring a DS since he didn't expect to be away from home for a long period of time. He was bored so he was playing some games in Sho's laptop. The older man let him, since it was the least he could do for Nino's company.

Even though he wouldn't say it, he was thankful to Nino. Because he was there, he calmed down a little. Though, the woman was fine but still, it didn't change the fact that he was careless and bumped into her with his car.

 _Oh, I'm so going to change that car of mine after all this._

He didn't need a reminder of what he'd done.

But still, with Ninomiya Kazunari with him, he felt calmer.

If he was alone, he would be distracted with his thoughts and that would be bad.

After a few minutes, they heard a groan. Sho looked at Nino and the latter pauses his game and placed the laptop on the table. He walked towards his friend as they waited for the woman to open her eyes.

…

Mari could only feel pain. Her whole body was in pain. She couldn't remember why.

What happened?

She tried to open her eyes only for the light to make it close again. It was painful so she did it slowly this time and blinked a few times to checked on her surroundings.

Where was she?

She moved her eyes since she cannot move her neck, she realized, and saw two men at the side of her bed. Her vision slowly cleared.

"Who…" she tried to utter but only a soft sound could be heard.

"She's trying to talk." A man's voice. She could clearly hear him.

"Aa, why don't we get her some water?" Another man's voice, she noticed, it was different.

"I'll get one then." The first person said and the one standing disappeared from her vision.

The one seated neared her and she heard him asked, "Can you sit up?"

Her body was still painful but unlike before, she could take it. She nodded a little to his question and he helped her sit up. She could tell he was doing it slowly for her. He must have known it was painful for her. She was thankful for that.

The other man appeared and gave the glass of water to the man who helped her sit up. "Here." He said.

She drank the water hungrily. She must have been really thirsty.

When she finished drinking, the glass was left on the table next to her bed. The two men stared at her.

"Um…" she muttered. "Where… am I?" she asked softly. Her throat didn't feel raspy anymore because of the water.

The two men exchanged glances and the man next to her looked apologetic. "You're in the hospital."

Her forehead creased. Hospital? But why?

Aside from that, what happened to her? She tried to search her memories.

 _I was sleeping in my room. Then I felt hot. I stood up and opened the door then I realized our house was burning and then…_

Sho and Nino stared as the woman's facial expression changed from confusion to realization to sadness to fear.

They didn't know they will see someone portray those emotions in less than a minute.

"Um…"

Mari turned her head to the voice. Sho looked worried. "Are you alright?"

She nodded slowly, cannot find her voice to actually answer him.

Nino sat on the edge of the bed. "Do you remember what happened to you before you lose consciousness?" he asked softly, not wanting the woman to be afraid of him.

Sho got Nino's question. They had to apologize first for the accident and his friend's question might make her answer about the car crashing on her.

Mari looked at her hands on her lap as she recalled her memories. She was running towards the next street but then, there was a light and car stopping abruptly and then pain.

She looked at the men at her side. "I… got hit by a car?" she asked, quite uncertain.

Sho bowed his head. "I'm sorry! I'm really sorry about that!"

Mari looked at him in surprise. "Raise your head. I don't mind."

Nino stared at her weirdly. "What do you mean, _you don't mind_?"

The woman opened her mouth and closed it again. She was thinking of how to explain it to the two men.

"I mean… I don't mind being… hit by a car and dying like that." She said after a short silence.

The two men exchanged glances. "It's much better than… being killed by a sniper." She muttered but Sho, being near her, heard it.

He fought the urge to gasp but to no avail. He was curious. His curiosity was getting him into trouble and he knew it.

"What… do you mean by… _being killed by a sniper_?" Nino stared at his friend surprised. He didn't hear it so he gasped at the question.

Mari turned to him, afraid that he was able to hear her. She didn't know whether to trust these people or not at the first place.

"Wait… do you own that car? The one I got hit with?"

Sho averted his gaze and Mari already knew the answer. "Were you also the one who brought me here?"

Nino answered, "Yes." Since Sho was still averting his gaze.

Mari furrowed her eyebrows. Wait, did these two resemble someone… like…

Her eyes widened. Oh my gosh!

"Um…" she cleared her throat. "Are you two… the members of Arashi?"

They looked at each other again.

Nino cleared his throat. "I'm sorry for not introducing ourselves first." The man seated on her bed said. "I'm Arashi's Ninomiya Kazunari." He patted Sho's back and the man turned to the woman. "I'm Arashi's Sakurai Sho."

She bit her lip.

Of all people, she had to be saved by THAT Arashi.

She belonged to a high class family but she never met them. She only watched them on TV and listened to their songs. Because of her studies, she couldn't even find the time to watch their concerts. They were still starting but their songs were inspiring her every day.

She is a legit Arashi fan. She is even part of their fans club.

Oh my gosh.

"What about you?" Her thoughts were cut off by Sakurai Sho's question. "What's your name?"

She lowered her gaze. Could she tell them her real name? If someone was really targeting her, it was going to trouble Arashi and she didn't want her idols to experience such scandals!

"I—"

The door opened so fast and the occupants turned their heads to the door.

"Sho-chan! Nino! Are you alright?" Aiba asked as he went to them and inspected them. The two blinked in surprise.

"Aiba-chan?" that was Sho. "What are you doing here? I thought you're going to fish with Satoshi-kun."

"We postponed it." Ohno appeared and closed the door.

"Oh-chan! Why?"

"It's bothering me. I don't know why you're in the hospital so I decided to come. I told Aiba-chan so we decided to go together." He explained. "Are you guys really okay?"

Nino smiled. "We're fine, leader. Seriously."

"Then why are you two here?" Aiba asked until he noticed the woman on the bed. "Are~ who is she?"

Ohno tilted his head. He felt like he already met this woman before. "Is she the reason why you're here?"

Sho scratched his head. "Yeah."

They explained everything to them.

"So that's why you cannot leave." Aiba said in realization. Sho nodded. "I cannot actually leave Sho-chan here, can I?"

Ohno patted Nino's shoulder. "Good work, Nino." The praised man smirked. "Thanks!"

Mari was watching them. She couldn't believe it. Arashi was here, in front of her, aside from Matsujun. Still, this was a rare sight. She was happy to be alive right now.

However, the problem was still there. Facing her reality, she reached for her neck, finding her sister's necklace gone. She panic and cut off the men's conversation.

"Ne… um…"

Nino turned to her, feeling her panic. "My things…" she told him. The man nodded. "Aa, the doctor left it in our care. I'll get it."

She sighed in relief.

As soon as her necklace appeared in her vision, she immediately held it in her hand and sighed.

Thank goodness.

She had to protect the necklace since it was her sister's treasure. She heard it was from a special someone she met in primary school. She told her she met this man already but she couldn't remember.

Anyway, she had to find that man.

Mari wasn't the only one who was surprised and happy to see the necklace. Ohno gaped as he stared at the necklace being held by the woman. He stared at her. At the necklace. And then at her. He repeated the cycle until the realization was shown on his face.

He remembered!

"Aa, Leader? What's with you?" Nino asked, noticing their leader's gaze on the woman.

"Wait, you are Koizumi Mari, right?"

The woman stared at him in surprised. "H-How did you…"

Sho looked at the both of them. "You know her, Satoshi-kun?"

Ohno regained his stance and turned to Sho. "Not at first. I didn't realize it was you, not until I saw you with the necklace."

The three members of Arashi gave a confused expression. "Necklace?"

Ohno nodded. "Yeah, I gave it to her sister a long time ago. She was a friend from primary school."

"Really?"

"So…" Mari finally found her voice. "My sister's first love… is Ohno-san?"

The three men who heard it gasped in surprise. "First love?"

Ohno blushed. "She wasn't actually my first love but I remember confessing to her." The three men nodded.

"And then?" Aiba asked, excited.

"I was going to move and I gave her that necklace," he gestured to the necklace in Mari's hands. "… and told her that we'll meet again."

Aiba, Nino and Sho teased him with their usual, "Hyu! hyu!" Cheering up the room, even Mari smiled a little.

"I see." She muttered. "So… you're that man my sister is talking about."

Ohno smiled at her. "How is Satomi-chan?" he asked. "I know she's a photographer now but I don't have the time to meet her so…"

Mari grasped the necklace tightly in her chest, closing her eyes. She saw the face of her sister, telling her that it will be okay. She will be okay.

"Ohno-san…" she opened her eyes. "My sister… died last night."

Their eyes widened.

Sho and Nino looked at each other. Someone must be targeting her family. It explained the situation and her wounds very clearly.

"Koizumi-san." Nino called out. "Do you know that… your shoulder had been shot?"

Ohno and Aiba turned to Nino, eyes wide. "Nino, you don't mean that…"

"Satoshi-kun… she's being targeted." Sho informed.

The oldest man shook his head. "But why? Why would they kill the daughters of the Koizumi family?"

Mari lowered her gaze. "Koizumi-san." It was Nino's voice again. She turned to him with a sigh. There was no use in hiding it. "I didn't notice I've been shot. Maybe because of the adrenaline rush. My mind just… I was focusing on running… on escaping. Our house... someone burned it and my brother was there… he made me and my sister went out first…. I don't know if he managed to get out with my father. When we're at the entrance, someone… was going to kill me and Satomi nee-chan saved me… and then… and then…" she didn't know if what she was saying was coherent anymore. Tears streamed down her face and she cried…

…at the lost of her family and the love of her life in just one night.

And the Arashi members let her. They let her cry, mourn for the family she had lost.

They slowly went out of the room, sitting on the bench in front of her door. They could still hear her cries. They waited silently.

After a few minutes, there was silence. Sho stood up and peeked in the room. He could see her still figure, lying on the bed. She fell asleep.

"Sho-kun, Nino." Ohno's voice pierced through the silence.

"What is it, Oh-chan?" Nino asked and Sho looked over at him as well.

"Thank you for saving her." Ohno smiled.

"Satoshi-kun…"

He faced the door, as if looking at the woman inside it. "When I was in 6th grade, I met Satomi-chan. We always play together so as the time passed, I came to like her. I also met her sister, Mari-chan, who was still in nursery. I remembered that she was so cute back then. I also used to play with her, when Satomi-chan had to do some errands."

The man took a deep breath.

"She's like a little sister to me. I've always like her."

"Leader…"

"So I'm really thankful."

"No, it was an accident… so…"

"Even so… thank you."

Sho and Nino nodded, accepting his thanks.

"What do we do now, Leader?"

Ohno stood up. "I'm going to help her, of course."

The rest smiled.

"Right!" Sho agreed.

"Count me in!" Aiba exclaimed.

"We should update J. He's going to have a fit for leaving him behind." Nino said, opening his phone.

Ohno nodded. "We're going to plan what to do tomorrow."

"Yeah!"

 _ **Second Road: Koizumi Satomi's Locket Necklace ends here.**_


	4. Past - 3rd Road: Truth

**CrossRoad – The Past  
Third Road: Truth**

 _That day in the preschool finally ended. She happily ran towards the entrance, looking forward to another day of playing with her sister. She was busy with her own studies but she always get her from school and play with her before going home, and it was something that she really enjoyed doing._

 _Reaching the entryway, she saw her sister's open arms, a wide smile playing in her lips. She jumped in her arms, laughing happily._

" _Onee-chan!"_

 _Her sister patted her head fondly. "How's your day, Mari-chan?" she asked her._

 _The five-year-old girl Mari pulled away and smiled brightly at her sister. "Sensei said I'm a good singer!"_

 _Her sister giggled. "Ehhh~ then you have to sing for us when we got home later, 'kay? I know Dad would like to hear your voice."_

 _Mari nodded greedily with a bright smile. "Hai! I will! But will we play in the park today?"_

 _The 10-year-old girl nodded with a smile. "Of course, so let's go!"_

 _She jumped happily and held her sister's hand as they walked along towards the park near their neighbourhood._

 _Her sister's primary school was near to the park so she took her there since she said it was a nice._

 _They played by the slide, monkey bars, sand box, and more. The last thing they did was the swing. Little Mari was swinging with her sister pushing her when she heard her sister's name being called by someone._

" _Satomi-chan!"_

 _Her sister stopped swinging the swing where she was in and looked on the newcomer. She saw her smiled softly and waved. "Satoshi-kun!"_

 _The young boy—her sister's age— she guessed, smiled and held a hand in front of him in greeting. "Yo!"_

 _Satomi acknowledged with a smile of her own. "What are you doing here?"_

 _The boy scratched his head. "Well, I'm on an errand. My mother asked me to buy soy sauce from the nearest supermarket." He explained. "On my way home, I saw you here so I called out."_

" _Hmm…" Satomi hummed._

 _Mari looked at the both of them confused as they talked in front of her. Noticing her younger sister's stare, Satomi jumped. "Ah! My sister… Mari." She introduced, gesturing to her._

 _The five-year-old saw the boy stare at her for a while before letting out a smile and looking at her closely. "Hi! My name is Ohno Satoshi. You can call me Satoshi-nii if you want."_

 _Mari shook her head. "I don't want to. It's too long."_

 _Satomi laughed. "Mari-chan…"_

 _The little girl pouted. Ohno patted her head. "Then you can call me whatever you want…"_

 _Mari seemed to be thinking. After a few seconds, she looked up to him and smiled brightly. "Sa-chan!"_

 _The boy's eyes widened but a few seconds passed and he smiled. He ruffled the hair of the little girl and straightened up. He looked down at her with a grin. "Sounds like a girl's nickname but if that's what you want, you'll be the only one allowed to call me that."_

 _The little girl smiled brightly. "Sa-chan, are you my sister's boyfriend?"_

 _At the sudden question, the two ten-year-old kids blushed as Satomi looked at her sister in surprise. "Mari-chan!"_

" _Hm?"_

" _Where did you learn that?"_

" _Tsukasa-sensei said that he is Tsukushi-sensei's boyfriend so…"_

 _Satomi fought the urge to slap her forehead. She was going to talk to her sister's teachers tomorrow. Satoshi laughed._

" _It's okay, Satomi-chan. I don't mind."_

 _Satomi stared at her classmate in shock. "What?"_

" _I said, I don't mind since it's true. We are friends and I'm a boy, you're a girl… so you are like my girlfriend."_

 _Satomi fought the urge to slap her forehead for a second time. She stared at the two figures in front of her. They were both playing in the swings without her._

 _She smiled. She couldn't believe that they will get along so well._

 _Well, in a way, they were somewhat alike._

" _Onee-chaaaan! Let's play with Sa-chaaaan!" her sister's shrill voice interrupted her thoughts and she ran towards them. How did they go from in front of her towards the slides that fast?_

 _She shook her head and ran towards them. "But Mari-chan, Satoshi-kun needs to go home now to give back the soy sauce to his mother!"_

 _Satoshi shook his head. "It's okay. My house is near here. I can run fast towards home and return to play with you guys, if Mari-chan would allow me to."_

 _Mari nodded enthusiastically. "Hai!"_

 _Satomi smiled. Well… at least Mari seemed to like her crush._

…

Mari woke up with the smell of coffee lingering near her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that it was the ray of the sun that was making her eyes hurt. She blinked lightly and settled her vision around the room. She seemed to be alone.

She tried to sit up on her own but she winced. It was still painful to move her arms, so she gave up and stayed still. Her thoughts came to her dream.

So that was the first time she met Ohno Satoshi.

How come she didn't remember him?

Her sister also didn't mention anything about him. There was no way she wouldn't know. Ohno Satoshi was a national idol. Well… for at least five years since Arashi's debut. He was twenty-three, just like her sister.

She sighed. Maybe because he was a national idol that it's just wasn't the same anymore.

She looked towards the window. It was bright outside, she realized. She couldn't believe that she was alive. She thought she would die the night before.

Everything happened in just a blink of an eye. Everything that she has, _had_ , was now… gone.

Her home…

Her family…

Her education…

Her first love…

All because of something which she didn't even know.

All she knew was that someone was trying to kill them.

But who?

Why?

As far as she knew, her family didn't do anything wrong. They did their best to be useful to people.

She gripped her sheets. Maybe that was the reason.

Being in a high class family, they weren't supposed to mingle with low and middle class people, but her family was trying their best to change that.

They tried to make at least a difference.

However, it didn't work. It became much worse.

She didn't know what was wrong and right anymore.

She thought she would cry again so she gripped her necklace. Her sister's necklace keeps her calm, even though it was really Ohno-san who gave it to her.

The door opened and she turned around. She was surprised to see him on the door and coming in towards her bed.

"You're awake." He said with a smile. "Good morning."

She slowly nodded in acknowledgement. "Good morning."

He offered the cup of coffee he was holding in his right hand. "Want some coffee?"

She looked at him confused and he smiled encouragingly. She couldn't help but return the gesture. "Okay, I'll accept the offer, Ohno-san."

Ohno nodded and placed his own cup of coffee on the table next to her bed. He helped her sit up first and set up the table on the bed. After that, he went outside to get her a coffee. It wasn't for long that he returned and laid the cup of coffee in front of her.

He sat down on the chair next to her bed as they took a sip from their own coffee cups.

 _It was warm,_ Mari thought. She wasn't a fan of coffee, but drinking right now made her feel normal.

Like everything was normal.

"Mari-chan?"

She heard his voice and turned to him. He was looking at her straightforwardly, with a soft expression.

"Yes?"

"How do you feel right now?"

She tried to smile. "I feel better, Ohno-san. After crying my heart out before I fell asleep, I think it really helped. Thanks for asking."

He nodded. "That's good."

Silence followed and their coffee was almost done when Ohno spoke. "If…"

Mari glanced at him. "If… you don't have somewhere to go… I want you to come with me."

Her eyes widened.

"Ohno-san…"

"Don't take me wrong. I'm not really doing this just because you're Satomi-chan's sister but…"

He placed his cup down on the table and held a hand towards her. "…it's because I consider you as my sister ever since we met that day."

Mari turned away from him. He was so kind. He remembered. He was still the same 'Sa-chan' he met.

She breathed deeply and gathered the courage to look in his eyes. "Ohno-san… I…"

"You can stay with my family. I'll tell them the situation. They knew Satomi-chan so they will understand."

"But… I don't want to get you into trouble." She reasoned.

He shook his head. "No you're not. Believe me."

She weighed her options.

"But… I'm being targeted. I don't want your family to be at risk because of me."

Ohno shook his head. "No worries. You're going to hide. The people who were targeting you thought that you were dead." He said. "They probably saw you being hit by Sho-kun's car so…"

She nodded slowly, understanding the situation. He had a point. "As long as you're going to hide, there will be no problems."

The 18-year-old looked at her lap, deep in thought. Ohno stared at her. "Well?"

She turned to him. "Okay. But I'll move out if I managed to find a place to hide."

Ohno sighed but accepted. It was better than to make her change her mind and refuse.

The woman smiled brightly. "Thank you very much, Ohno-san."

The man shook his head. "Will you please stop calling me with such formality? You used to call me 'Sa-chan' before."

Mari blushed in embarrassment. "But it's a childhood nickname. You're a national idol now. It doesn't suit you."

Ohno smiled. "I see. But I prefer you call me a different name. I feel uncomfortable with the formality."

"Then…" Mari averted her gaze shyly. "…Satoshi nii-san. Just like what you want me to call you before."

"Better." He nodded. "Though, I would like it a bit more informal."

Mari smiled a little. "I'll try my best."

"I'll look forward to it."

They both smiled and chuckled.

"Anyway, what time is it?" Mari asked, wondering.

Ohno looked at his phone. "Oh, it's almost 8 already."

"That early?" Mari asked.

"Yeah, but we have a variety shoot at ten in the morning so I think I'd better go."

Mari nodded. "Yes, I think so."

Ohno stood up and waved at her. "Eat what the nurse will bring you, alright?"

She nodded with a salute. "Yes, nii-san." The man chuckled, at least she was cheerful.

"We'll come back here right after the shoot to plan on what we're going to do from now on." He told her. "Until then, take plenty of rest."

She smiled in response. "Thank you so much and take care."

"Yeah, you too."

The door closed and Mari was alone in the room again. She was grateful to Ohno's kindness, though she still couldn't believe it that the leader of Arashi, Ohno, considered her as his younger sister.

It was an honor.

Amazing.

She turned to the window and smiled. She basked in the sunlight and tried to forget unwanted thoughts even for a little bit.

…

Ohno entered the green room with some time to spare. The studio of Shiyagare was quite far from the hospital but he was glad his manager managed to make it in time.

The others were already there, wearing their costumes. They greeted him in unison as soon as he entered.

"Leader!" Aiba said. "You're finally here!"

Ohno nodded and prepared himself to be dressed up by the staff. He apologized for being late, in which the staff dismissed.

They didn't talk about Mari in the green room since there were still staffs inside. Who knows who might be listening in? After all, the woman was being targeted.

The members were doing their usual routine; Nino was playing with his DS, Aiba was eating a slice of strawberry shortcake, MatsuJun was scanning his phone, probably searching about something and Sho was reading a newspaper.

When Ohno was done preparing and all dressed up, the staff said they still have ten minutes before the shoot so they were left alone inside their green room. As soon as the staff left, the members except the youngest turned to Ohno and asked, "How is she?" that was Sho.

He smiled at him. "She's going to be fine. She's quite cheerful when I left."

Sho nodded. "That's good."

MatsuJun looked at them in confusion. "Who are you talking about?"

The oldest in the room gazed at them. "You haven't told him yet?" he asked.

They nodded. "We're waiting for you." Nino replied with a shrug. He sighed and settled comfortably on a sofa.

"Then talk Nino. Inform MatsuJun of what happened last night."

The youngest rose his thick eyebrow. "Hn? What is it?" he asked as he locked his phone and placed it in his bag.

Nino exchanged glances with Sho and the latter gestured Nino to start. He just didn't want to say it… heck, he didn't even want to remember. He already asked his manager to help him sell his car in order to buy another one.

After a few moments…

MatsuJun placed his hands on both of his hips. "Let me get this straight. So… you were saying that… on your way home, Sho-kun hit a woman with his car?"

"Yes." Nino replied.

"…and then, it turns out she's still alive so you brought her to the hospital?"

"Yes."

"…and then, you realized there is someone who wants to kill her?"

A nod.

"…and then, you guys called Ohno-san and Aiba-san to cancel on the fishing trip but in the end, they got worried and went in the hospital… only to discover that Leader knew that woman?"

Sho nodded this time. Nino was making a face.

"How come I didn't know this?"

"Sorry, we know you have a meeting this morning so we want you to have at least the time to rest."

"We really did plan to tell you today."

The youngest sighed and nodded. "Okay, so now what do you plan to do?" he asked.

Ohno raised his hand. "I already offered her to stay in my family's house."

They all turned to him. "Eh?"

They were surprised. It was rare for their leader to offer something like that. She must be really important to him if he was willing to bring his family into this.

"My mother is fond of Satomi-chan. I'm sure she will welcome her."

MatsuJun shook his head. "No, leader, more importantly, what did she say?"

Their leader smiled. "Of course, she said yes."

The Arashi members exchanged glances with each other. "I guess… that's good news." Sho responded, crossing his arms against his chest.

Nino nodded in agreement. "Right."

"What are we going to do next?" Aiba asked. "A place to live when she's out of the hospital is already set…"

Ohno leaned on his seat. "I told her that we'll talk about it later, after the shoot." He looked at his friends. "Are you going to come?"

Aiba smiled brightly. "Of course, I'm in! I want to help too!" The oldest member grinned at him. "Thanks, Aiba-chan."

Sho checked his phone for his schedule, making sure that he could insert at least a little time to visit the woman. He was feeling responsible for what happened, even if they didn't blame him. He turned to Ohno after. "I can spare some time to go, Satoshi-kun."

He nodded in reply. "Okay, Sho-kun."

Meanwhile, Nino glanced at Sho but the latter didn't notice. The genius actor of Arashi was reading his facial expression and he could tell that he was quite worried for her.

Even though he wasn't saying it, he could tell.

Sho-chan was easy to read.

He placed his DS inside his bag and turned to Ohno. "I'll come too. You'll need my help."

"I understand." Ohno replied and gazed at the youngest. "What about MatsuJun?"

"Well, I don't have anything to do after this so might as well join you guys." He shrugged. "And… I want to meet her."

"You'll like her for sure." Their leader said fondly and if Nino didn't tell him earlier that Ohno considered her like a sister, he would think that she was someone he fell in love with.

But, it was her sister he was fond of and until she met the woman, he will refrain from speaking out his thoughts.

He will restrain himself, even though it was hard for him. It wasn't his character.

…

It was already eleven in the evening when they reached the hospital. It was already past the visiting time but since it was a secret that Mari was staying there, the members of Arashi were allowed to see her. The director and the doctor and some of the employees knew how to keep secrets to their gratefulness.

This issue also was raised to their managers and it was just a matter of time before the agency's president heard of this.

The rest of the group lead MatsuJun to her room since it was his first time. Trudging towards her room, they heard someone singing.

"Did you hear that?" Aiba asked, since he was in the front of the group, he was able to hear it.

Nino ignored him and continued to walk towards the room but before he could go any further, Aiba pulled his right hand. The former looked at his friend with raised eyebrow. "What?"

"I can hear someone singing. Didn't you hear that?" he replied, gazing at the other members. They stayed still and tried to listen.

They realized it was true. It was faint but there was really a singing voice.

"Who might it be?" Sho asked, wondering.

"Why don't we move further to check?" Matsumoto Jun suggested and they all agreed. At this point, Jun was pushed in front of the group.

As they walked, they could already hear the voice clearly. "Wait…" Nino called.

"What?"

"Is the song familiar?" the gamer asked.

"Familiar?" Ohno questioned, placing his hands on his hips.

"Isn't that Ashita no kioku?" Jun asked. Nino turned to him in realization. "Ah! From Sho-chan's drama?"

The youngest member nodded.

"Now that you mention it…" Aiba murmured.

Nino thought of something. Sho realized it because of his best friend's mischievous smile. "Nino, what are you planning?" he questioned, eyeing him suspiciously.

The rest of the members thought the same. Well, Nino is Nino.

The center of attention smirked. "You know me so well." He said. "I just want to record the voice, that's all." He continued. "Don't you think it's beautiful?"

They exchanged glances and focused on the voice again.

They had to agree.

The singing voice is truly beautiful and if the song wasn't theirs, they might mistake it for an original one.

Her version was amazing.

"Give me your phone." Nino asked Ohno, who was next to him. "Hurry, the song is almost done…"

Ohno complied hurriedly, giving his phone to his friend after opening it. Nino immediately clicked the record button. They stood still as the voice continued to sing the bridge until the last chorus of the song.

It was beautifully sang without any music accompaniment and it would be nice for everyone to hear it.

After the song, they heard a sigh as Nino stopped recording. They all exchanged glances and suddenly, Aiba, who was leaning on Sho, lost his balance causing the both of them to almost trip, holding onto the door with their palms, creating a noise.

The three members hit Aiba's head playfully, scolding him quietly. Aiba apologized, bowing profusely.

"Is someone there?" they heard from inside the room.

They sighed in unison and Matsumoto Jun shook his head.

There was nothing they could do.

They pushed Ohno towards the door instead. The older member looked at them and pointed at himself as if saying, "Me?"

They all nodded with a point to the door.

"You go first…" Nino whispered, patting his shoulder. Ohno sighed.

He opened the door and peeked inside. She was sitting on the bed. Their eyes met and her eyes widened. She must have realized that they've been listening to her.

"Everyone…" she whispered.

They all went inside. "Good evening," they greeted with a slight bow. She returned the gesture. "Hai, good evening."

Silence ensued but the woman gathered her courage to ask what she had been wondering since she heard the noise.

"Um… how long have you been outside the door?" she asked as she moved her gaze to each of them.

The five members exchanged glances and Nino, as usual, smirked nonchalantly. "Well… long enough for us to record your singing voice." He teased, waving Ohno's phone in front of him.

Mari gasped and removed her covers, stood up and tried to get the phone from him but unfortunately, her legs failed her and she almost stumbled if not only for the arms that caught hers.

Her closed eyes – when did she close them? – opened slowly, and gazed upwards only to face the worried eyes of one Sakurai Sho. She couldn't stop the blush that adored her cheeks. She hoped he didn't notice.

"Are you alright?" he asked, still staring at her.

Mari pulled away and averted her gaze with a nod. "Y-Yes, thank you."

He helped her sit on the bed as Nino apologized to her. "Sorry, I didn't know that you're going to try and catch me."

Mari shook her head. "No, I got embarrassed so…"

Ohno snatched his phone from Nino's hands and smiled at the woman. "Don't worry, this is my phone. I won't let anyone listen or post it somewhere." He said reassuringly.

Mari nodded with a smile. "Thank you, nii-san."

The older man nodded with a smile. The endearment didn't go unnoticed by his friends in the room.

"Wait… eh? Nii-san?" Nino said slowly. "Did I hear it right?"

"I think I heard it too." Aiba commented, nodding.

Sakurai Sho noticed the youngest with crossed arms and just staring at them impatiently.

"Everyone… before we go there, are you forgetting something?"

They all looked at each other until finally, the three members' gaze laid upon the youngest who were looking at them.

"Ah! That's right. I almost forgot." Ohno said, looking at Mari. "I think you already know him but it's better to introduce him to you and vice versa."

The woman smiled in relief as if she had been waiting all this time to be introduced to the only member she hadn't met yet in person.

"Mari-chan, this is Matsumoto Jun. We call him MatsuJun." Ohno introduced. He turned to the youngest member and gestured to Mari this time. "MatsuJun, this is Koizumi Mari. She's the younger sister of a friend of mine."

Jun knew she was the sister of his leader's special someone but he didn't say anything and held a hand towards the woman. "Nice to meet you, I'm Matsumoto Jun."

"I'm Koizumi Mari, it's a pleasure."

Jun smiled at her. She was courteous. She was probably from a high class family.

"Okay, now that's done." Nino interfered as he looked at Ohno. "Oh-chan, what's with that, 'Nii-san' earlier?"

Arashi's leader stared at him. "I am uncomfortable being called in a formal manner so I asked her to call me whatever she wants to."

"Hmm…" Nino nodded. "If that's the case…" he faced Mari and pointed to himself. "You have to call me less formally too!"

Aiba pushed Nino and nodded. "Me too!"

"Hey you two…" Sho tried to stop the two to no avail. He shook his head with a sigh.

"You have to call all of us less formally then!" Aiba chirped with a grin. Mari found it contagious and returned the gesture confusedly.

"Um… okay? If that's what you want." She replied, looking at them.

"Nice! Then, start with me." Nino said, waiting.

Mari squinted her eyes. "Is it… okay to address you the same as your fans?" she asked. "Since… I'm a fan too."

They all exchanged glances. "Well, yeah." Nino said, agreeing.

"We're kind of curious of what the fans call us too." Jun commented, looking at her.

Mari nodded. "Then… Ninomiya-san."

Nino gaped at her. "Eh?! Isn't that too formal?"

She smiled slightly. "Is it fine to call you Nino though?"

The said man shrugged. "Sure. I actually expected that, since almost everyone calls me Nino."

"Hmm…" she turned to the one next to him. "Aiba-chan."

They all chuckled. "All of the fans always call him like that, ne?" Sho asked, earning the nods from the rest of the members.

Mari continued to the next one. "Um… Sho-kun."

He nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. "Nice." He told her. Mari bowed her head slightly. "Thank you."

She faced the last person and hesitated. "Is it… alright to call you, Matsujun?"

He grinned. "That's fine with me."

The woman smiled in return.

"Now…" Nino moved to the sofa in the room. "Is it alright to go to our agenda tonight?"

Mari nodded and made a move to stand up but Sho stopped her. "Wait, can you stand now?"

She smiled. "Yes, my legs are quite shaky but I can manage. If we want to talk about this, I think I should join you all in the couch." She replied.

"Then let me help you." Sho said, holding out his hand. Mari looked at him. "Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"Then, I'll take your offer."

As soon as he held her hands in his, she felt her heart beat fast inside her chest. She was afraid he might hear it. She looked at him facing forward and averted her gaze towards the others. _Thank goodness, he didn't seem to notice._ She thought as he helped her on the couch.

She smiled and thanked him to which he answered, "You're welcome" as soon as he sat down next to her.

As they settled down, with Nino on a single couch, Aiba and Jun on the first couch and Sho, Mari and Ohno on the other one, they started their meeting.

"What we're going to do is to investigate first the reason why Mari-chan here is being targeted by someone." Nino began.

"Well, in order to know that, we have to know fully who she is…" Jun said. "Or even the story before her encounter with Nino and Sho-chan." Aiba added.

Ohno stared at her. "If it's painful for you, we can take it easy for a while." He told her. Mari looked at him and shook her head slowly. "It's okay. The sooner we do this, the sooner we'll know who's behind everything." She replied, smiling sadly.

"This is… for my family too so…"

Nino nodded. "Okay, so let's do this." he faced her. "We're ready if you are."

Mari smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

She breathed deeply and joined her hands together on her lap, facing the people in the room with her. These five members of Arashi were someone she could trust. She knew that.

So she would take the chance to recall everything…

…even if it will cause her pain.

She would… for her family… and for herself.

"As you already know, my name is Koizumi Mari. I'm eighteen years old. I belong to a high class family. My father is a Police Chief of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. My sister, Satomi, is a world-class photographer and my brother, Kento, is a piano prodigy. My mother died when I was thirteen years old. She was an interpreter all around the world."

She paused, leaning on the couch a little bit. "I… am studying in Shizu."

"Shizu?" Jun asked. "Isn't that the University of Tokyo?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes."

"Ehhh~" Sho stared at her. "That's amazing. You must have been very intelligent."

Mari shook her head. "No, I just love studying ever since I was little."

"Hmm…"

They all waited for her to continue. "Not to be brazen or anything but I… always do my best in my studies so I had the privilege to be at the top of my class. I also excel in other curricular activities like singing and dancing so I got the nickname 'Princess' in the university."

The five nodded. "I bet it's also because you're beautiful." Aiba commented, causing the woman to blush a bit.

"Um… they also say that but I don't really pay attention." She said shyly. "I just love doing the things I love to do."

Sho nodded. "I get you."

"Sho-kun can relate." Jun commented, earning a glance from the person mentioned. "Yeah."

"Anyway, I also had a boyfriend and he is called the 'Soccer prince'."

Ohno turned his head to her. "You had a boyfriend?"

"It's not really surprising, ne?" Nino asked, "She is beautiful and capable after all."

"But…"

"Leader, you're too overprotective." Jun added, causing the oldest to pout a little. Mari couldn't help but smile.

Sho's forehead creased a little. "But she said 'had'. Doesn't that mean…"

The woman just shrugged. "It will be mentioned later, I guess."

"Hm…"

"Okay so that night, I was sleeping."

The five focused into attention realizing that the next story will be the night of the incident.

"It feels really hot so I woke up and wondered if the air conditioner broke again… I sat up and saw a light from the gap under my door. I got curious so I opened it and saw that it was fire." She sighed. "Our house is burning."

The eyes' of the five members widened at this fact. "I ran to the bathroom immediately, wet myself with water and ran to my sister's room. She saw the situation and we went to my brother's room together. My brother told us to escape first and he was going to get our father alone in his room. My sister refused, saying that we should go together, but my brother insisted. Before I knew it, we were outside, and my sister, after calling my name, suddenly pushed me on the ground. I got surprised and then, I saw that my sister's back was bleeding so I realized that I was supposed to be shot but she saved me."

The room's atmosphere turned into a tense one. Mari gripped her right hand tightly with her left, trying hard not to shake from the memories.

"She was telling me to run away… but I don't want to leave her there like that so I helped her up and we hid in an alley near there."

She breathed in deeply and stared at her hands in her lap. She couldn't make eye contact with anyone, because for sure, she was going to cry again.

"She… told me to escape for the second time. She said she could feel she wasn't going to make it, and gave me her necklace." Her right hand gripped the necklace around her neck. "She told me to search for _him_ because she knew he was going to help me if I showed him this necklace."

Ohno nodded quietly, looking at her but her head was lowered so she didn't see.

"I hesitated in escaping, but her words and her look gave me the courage to. And then… I ran away… while apologizing inside my head for leaving my sister like that."

She bit her lip and tried hard not to let out a sob. She still felt so guilty for doing that. She shouldn't have left her to die on her own. It was so sad, leaving someone to die alone.

The five men in the room probably felt her guilt so they all did the same thing to comfort her.

They all placed a hand in hers.

Her shaking left hand felt warm, and gradually, the shaking stopped. Their presence alone was so reassuring.

Mari wanted to cry for a different reason now. She was so grateful.

Her right hand that was grasping her necklace rubbed her eyes and she raised her head. She knew her eyes were still wet with tears but she grinned brightly. "Thank you."

They all nodded.

Their hands gripped hers and she knew it will be alright.

They removed their hands after making sure she felt at ease. "Are you okay?" Aiba asked. "Do you want to take a break first?"

She shook her head. "No, I want to finish my story so that we can establish what to do. There's no other time to do this but now." She said determinedly. Ohno let out a small smile. "We're here for you so you don't have to worry."

The woman smiled at his words. "Yes, I know. Thank you."

"I… went to my boyfriend's place after that. I don't have somewhere to go so…" Mari sat straight and breathed. "Anyway, I rang his doorbell and was quite surprised to see him topless. I realized maybe it was because he came from the shower."

"I also noticed his panicked expression but I thought maybe it was because he wasn't expecting me at that time."

"I was about to tell him what happened when I heard a woman's voice coming from inside."

At this, the five men's eyes widened for the second time.

"Don't tell me…" Nino let out.

Mari nodded. "Yes, like what you are thinking, there was a girl in his room. Not only some random girl though. It was Yoshitaka Maki, the university's queen."

"Yoshitaka? Isn't that the eldest daughter of the Stardust's president?" Jun asked. Mari nodded.

"Yes, that same Yoshitaka Maki."

Everyone nodded and gestured for her to continue. She sighed.

"He tried to explain but the truth was laid in front of me. She was only wearing a towel and her hair was wet. I told him we're through and ran away."

"And he didn't try to follow you?" Sho asked, quite concern.

The woman shook her head. "No."

Ohno's eyes glinted dangerously. "The jerk." He muttered, causing the members to look at him. It was rare to see their leader pissed.

"Anyway, while I was thinking what to do or where to go next, a gunshot reached the post I was next to. I realized that I was being chase so I ran without a care. I reached the intersection and thought that since at that time, there will be no vehicles, I could just ran to the next street but when I did, I saw a light and tried to stop but it was too late and I just felt pain before I lose consciousness."

"And that was the time where Sho-kun hit you with his beloved car." Nino said teasingly, looking at his friend.

Sho glared at him. "Please, I want to forget it."

Mari looked at him. "I'm sorry for getting you into trouble but don't worry, I don't blame you for what happened. I'm fine now and you're helping a lot so there's nothing to be guilty for."

The rapper smiled at her gratefully. "Thank you… your words are reassuring."

"I'm just happy to help."

"Alright, now that we were finally enlightened of what happened, let's try to trace some facts." Jun said.

They all nodded.

"First, your father was a chief of the Tokyo metropolitan police. If he was, he probably made enemies with many people."

Mari agreed. "Yes, he does his job fairly regardless of status."

"Maybe he was investigating something and the people involved caught on so they wanted to kill him?" Aiba guessed, looking at everyone.

"If that is the case," Nino piped up. "… why would the whole family be targeted?"

Aiba thought about this deeply. "Hmm… I wonder why…"

"Hey…" Nino stared at him disappointedly. Sho furrowed his eyebrows. "Wait… maybe that person knew that his children would investigate his death so they targeted the whole family to ensure his/her safety?" he ended.

"Wait, Sho-kun has the point." Jun said. Ohno nodded. "Yeah, that was possible.

Nino nodded. "Okay, so let's say that it was the reason. Now, Mari-chan, do you have any idea of what your father might be investigating recently?"

The girl turned to him confused. "No, I have no idea. My father didn't share such confidentialities to us since he was afraid his enemies might hurt us."

"Hm…"

Silence ensued as they think of possibilities when all of a sudden, an "Aah!" from Mari was heard.

"What?" Ohno asked, looking at her. "Did you remember something?" Sho seconded.

She nodded. "Yes… I remember my father telling me something two days ago."

"What is it? What is it?" Aiba inquired enthusiastically and Nino who was next to him gripped his arm to calm him down. It was futile though.

"He said… I should open my personal email two days from now… at exactly midnight.

The five men exchanged meaningful glances. "You don't think it wasn't a coincidence right?" MatsuJun asked his friends with a serious glint in his eyes.

Sho looked at his wristwatch and exclaimed, "It's past twelve!"

"Mari-chan here." Nino offered his laptop to the woman. "Use this and open your email."

She nodded in determination. "I understand."

The room was in silence except the sound of pounding keys of Nino's laptop. They waited in anticipation of what could be the email all about. The truth about her father's email… and its possible relation to the case they were talking about.

Mari breathed out. "I opened it." she muttered. Her eyes were glued to the screen, waiting for it to finish loading.

They saw her eyes widened.

"There's a new email…" she sat up straight and looked at them. "…from Dad."

They all stared at her in reply. "And then… what does it say?" Aiba asked a little too enthusiastic again causing Nino to tapped his head lightly. "Aiba-chan."

The man got the message. "Sorry."

The woman smiled. "It's okay." She returned her gaze to the monitor as she moved the arrow to open the message. She inhaled and exhaled slowly. "Here I go."

The men nodded in unison.

As soon as she opened the email, she realized how long it was from the usual email she received from her father.

She realized that the truth of her family's demise probably lies in the email.

The men noticed the silence of the woman so Sho, who was next to her, offered to read the email for her.

"Mari-chan, I can read it if you feel uncomfortable with it." he mumbled quietly, staring at her with worry in his eyes. She returned the gesture with a smile of her own.

"Thank you, Sho-kun. But, I will be okay." She replied. "I want to do this, no, I _have_ to do this."

Sho nodded. "Okay… if that's what you want." He told her. "But remember that we are here, so you can rely on us."

She appreciated his words so much it almost made her cry again but she controlled herself. She would do it later, when she had the time alone.

But now… she had to be strong.

"Thank you. I know I can count on you guys."

He nodded with a soft smile.

Mari looked back at the screen and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, after a firm nod as a sign of encouragement from her favourite idol group, she started.

" _Mari,"_ it began. It was addressed to her. Obviously.

" _I hope you are well. I trust your older siblings to make sure nothing will happen to you so I took the gamble of sending this email to you."_

" _You must have been confused as for the reason why I suddenly asked you to check your email two days before. The truth is I've been feeling that something is going to happen soon and I don't want to waste all of the investigations I did. You know how much of a justice I have in my bones and flesh, my dear."_

She smiled a little at this. It was so like him.

" _That is why your father entrusts this to you, my youngest daughter. The truth of what I've been doing for this past few days and the danger it holds."_

She bit her lip. Arashi listened quietly.

" _The truth is I've been investigating the Stardust Inc. There were hidden reports that the President had been involved in embezzlement."_

The Arashi members gasped. Stardust Inc. was one of the three famous talent agency in the country, with Amuse and Johnny's Entertainment, where they belong.

" _The funds of the Agency were said to come from a high-ranking official in the government, who also embezzled from the people's taxes."_

" _You know how much I loathe people who steal from unfortunate people so I cannot drop this case no matter what. Even though my superior warned me of its danger, I cannot let this slide. I want them behind bars."_

" _I was almost done in investigating this case but my source was discovered by Yoshitaka Yuuta and was tortured. He didn't say anything about me and he was killed in the end but for some reason, he was able to know it was me who was investigating him."_

" _He is a dangerous man, Mari. If something wasn't in his favour, he will do anything to turn the tide favourable to him. Even kill."_

" _I am sure that he will do something to me. However, I am afraid that he will bring you and your siblings into this. He is thinking that to avoid further investigations of my death, might as well bring the whole family down to end it as a mystery."_

" _Your older siblings are clueless about this. I didn't want to tell them because for sure, they will scold me nonstop. You know how they are, especially Satomi. She is a very strong-willed woman. She definitely got your mother's scary face."_

" _Your brother is quiet most of the time, but if he believes in something, he'll do everything to prove it to everyone."_

" _And you, my dear, are also scary if you want to be but most of the time, you make me relax just by listening to my concerns and being naturally sweet."_

" _Anyway, I hope you are all safe right now. I included what I should in this email. I want you to give the attachments of what I had found to my superior and he will be the one to do something about this."_

" _Do not attempt to do anything, Mari. I know you. Don't endanger yourself just for me. I want you to live normally like always. I want you to always smile as you do the things you love to do and I will be happy from where I am."_

" _I'm sorry for breaking my promise. Take care of yourself and I will always love you."_

"Dad..."

She placed the laptop on the table in front of her and covered her face. She didn't want to cry, however after reading the email with her father's feelings clearly shown there, she couldn't help it. She contained the sobs for a little bit and inhaled.

She felt someone rubbing her back and glancing next to her, she realized it was Ohno. The others were all silently and patiently waiting for her to calm down.

She accepted the tissues offered by Sho and wiped her tears away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't do this anymore." She said. It was more of a self-talking than actually talking to the people in the room with her. "I'm already eighteen for goodness' sake!" she bit her lip and patted her both cheeks.

Sho smiled at her. "It's okay. We understand."

She sighed deeply and drank a glass of water MatsuJun had gotten for her. She thanked him and he smiled in return.

Silence engulfed the room once again.

"So… what to do now?" Aiba asked. Nino leaned on the couch. "Now we know the mastermind already."

Ohno faced Mari seriously.

"Mari-chan, what do you want to do?" he asked. The woman turned to him. He looked serious, she noticed.

Matsumoto Jun caught on. "We won't do anything unless you tell us to. We will help you as promised so you just have to tell us what _you_ _really_ _want_ to do."

The rest nodded in determination. Mari exchanged looks with everyone.

What to do… What does she really _want_ to do?

Her thoughts went back to her past.

Life was simple back then. Wake up in the morning, have breakfast with her father and older siblings, go to school, hang out with her friends, have a date with Toma, return home to have dinner with her family, do her homework and then sleep. There were some additional events sometimes but it was technically her routine.

She was happy and content with that life.

Where it was now?

What happened?

Just because he didn't want to get caught in a case that he started on his own, he will kill people?

He hired someone to kill, no, he _killed_ her father, her family, just to save himself?

How unfair and cruel was that?

She never knew this kind of world existed. She thought it was only seen in movies and dramas but it actually happened to her and it wasn't a great experience.

She couldn't let this pass. She didn't want to be her pity self anymore.

Her father wanted her to live normally. However, it wasn't normal anymore. Everything that had happened cannot bring her back to her normal life.

It wasn't going to be the same anymore.

She will raise. She will shine, and send the people that made her family's life unworthy to hell.

Right where they should be.

With these thoughts, her eyes opened – when did she close them? – and stared at the people in the room.

With burning resolve, she declared,

"I want to give them their well-deserved revenge."

 _ **Third Road: Truth ends here.**_


End file.
